As has been mentioned on the What’s Missing page, there is are not a lot of man made attractions on Spanish Wells but there is still a tonne (that’s the metric version of ton, 1000 kg or 2200 lbs) of stuff to do. My choice of activities (in order of priority) are as follows:
- SLEEP IN – yep, just listen to the waves baby
- GET HYPNOTIZED – I particularly enjoy sitting at the front of the house in one of the Muskoka chairs and just watch the water. It has a strange hypnotizing effect and hours can go past before you know it. The time is especially enjoyable in the morning with a cup of fresh coffee or tea or later in the day with a beer or a favourite cocktail. I like to count the different shades of blue I see in the clouds and the water.
- WALK ON THE BEACH – The beach is about 2 miles end to end (about 1/2 mile to the east and 11/2 miles to the west. So a short walk to the east and back is about a mile and a long walk is to the west (to the bridge and back) is just over 3 miles or 5 km. Note that at high tide, your feet might get a bit wet somewhere from about 15th to 19th streets.
- GO OUT TO EAT (& DRINK) – As far as I know, nobody has ever starved to death on Spanish Wells (at least not for several centuries). There are lots of great restaurants and snack bars and even ‘pop ups’ (usually by the Food Fair on the weekend). See the (see the Wiki page) under ‘Restaurants’. Both the Shipyard and Sandbar make excellent cocktails. Your mission (should you choose to accept) is to determine which cocktail you prefer the most. I suggest not completing the investigation at one sitting!
- SWIM – the water is great for swimming at almost any time
- WALK OUT TO THE SAND BAR – About 1/3 of a mile straight out in front of the house is a huge sand bar. It runs at a sharp angle to the beach and is closer to the left and further away to the right. At low tide, the water level out there just barely covers your toes and can walk all the way out there without getting your shirt wet. The deepest point is about 3′. At high tide, you can still walk most of the way.
- DIVING FOR (SAND) DOLLARS – This is a great job for ‘junior snorkelors’. There are all sorts of sand dollars just below the surface of the sand in the water in front of the house. Remember, though, they are live creatures and should be returned to the depths.
- READ A NOVEL OR THREE – The HBH library is not quite up to Trinity College Dublin standards (home of the Book of Kells) so you might want to bring your own reading material. There is a Kobo (Canadian version of a Kindle) which has some great titles on it. Getting lost in a book while listening to the waves and soaking up the sun is a great way to spend a few hours/days.
- KAYAK – Paddling around with the kayak is great fun. There are several ‘Kayak Challenges’ including out to the sandbar and back (really easy); around to the bridge (left of the house) and back (easy); out to Pier Rock (island to the left) and back (medium); around the island (hard); over to Miami and back (really, really, really hard).
- BUY SOME PROPERTY – If you would like to consider owning a ‘piece of paradise’, stop in and see Darrin Sands. His office is at 15th street. Darrin was born, raised and lives in Spanish Wells and knows everything there is to know about the local real estate market and like most people in Spanish Wells is as honest as the day is long and will do his best to help you out.
- SNORKEL – The water right in front of the house is a bit too clear for good snorkeling (just the sand dollars mentioned above) but is great for kids to play around in. There are some grassy areas to the far right and far left that have more interesting stuff to look at. If you want to do ‘ultimate’ snorkeling though, the best place is to go out to the reef. you can rent a boat and go out yourself but I would suggest hiring one of the great local guides for 1/2 a day or so. My favourite is Bulleseye Bonefishing but there are a number of great guys to go out with including Bahamas Ocean Safaris, Captain Kid and Spanish Wells Fishing.
- HARBOUR ISLAND – Harbour Island is a great place to go for a day trip. You can take the Bo Hengy over at about 10:30 am, hang out on the incredible beach, have lunch at one of the fancy restaurants, look for celebrities, have a drink (or two) in one of the cool bars, do some shopping and then head back around 3:30 in the afternoon. Just a warning, Harbour Island is rather expensive.
- BOARD GAMES – in the tall cupboard where the microwave is, there are a number of great games including Backgammon, Monopoly and Scrabble. Backgammon is my favourite. You can find the rules and how to play the game here.
- PLAY WITH MABEL – Mabel is the vacuuming robot. She (don’t ask how I know she is a she) can keep small children and middle aged men occupied for hours…days even.
- FISHING
- EXPORING THE LITTLE ISLANDS
- RENT A BOAT
- PIGS
- ELEUTHERA
- GLASS WINDOW BRIDGE
- PREACHERS CAVE
- BLUE HOLE
- SPANISH WELLS MUSEUM